Nude wallet

I realized I lost my wallet last week on Friday. I panicked since I have never lost one and all my cards were in it. As a young black hard working independent kikuyu lady the  first thing you think of is your monies wueh. I ransacked my bags and my entire apartment. I checked under the bed and mattress. My wallet was nowhere to be found. Did I loose it in Germany? Did I leave it at a store in Prag? Was it taken from my backpack  in the Metro? My bank card was gone. You know how nowadays you just swipe without putting in your password … I couldn’t help but think someone went on a shopping spree with my card. So I called the bank blocked it and ordered a new one.

I went to the police station. A policeman comes and asks what he can do me for. “I can’t find my wallet,” I tell him. He asks me what happened. We are staring at each other as I’m trying to find words to explain my situation. Apparently, I had to be clear about whether I lost it or if it was stolen from me. They would only make a case if I was sure it was stolen. I told the police I didn’t have a clear recollection of what happened. it’s like it just disappeared. One minute I had it the other I didn’t. He was looking at me as if he was waiting for a huge theft story. Couldn’t make one up. He explained that the other option I had was to go report to immigration that I lost my permit. In this case, if someone found it they would send it to my address. So I went with the “lost” option.

By this time the immigration office had closed so I not only knew I had to go through the weekend penniless since I move cashless anyway but pray all weekend that an angel of a person finds it and it somehow finds its way back to mama. 

So now my plan was to go to immigration on Wednesday since I was to work Monday and Tuesday. Today evening (Monday) I come home, check my mailbox and guess what I see, a brown envelope and my instincts tell me “this could be your wallet inside” I’m smiling as I get to the house and I delicately open the envelope with my initials correctly written on the top. What do I see? My tiny nude wallet. She found her way back to mama. What’s more surprising is that there is 2,50€ and a shopping voucher inside which honestly I didn’t even recall were in there. All my cards except my permit are inside.

There are good people out there. I don’t know if this is good karma or if some people here are just well-cultured, kind, and considerate. I come from a culture whereby it would be very surprising if someone finds your wallet and gives it back with everything inside. Some will instead think it’s God’s doing that they found a lost wallet or some money laying around somewhere. Answered prayers indeed. They will think.

I can recall some years back when I was still green here and hustling for pocket money. So I got paid at the end of that week and had 80€ in my pocket. When I was leaving the metro I removed my hand from my pocket and the money slipped out. I didn’t notice. Someone on the train noticed and quickly picked it up and run to me “Hey hey you dropped this.” I took it and without even realizing they stepped back into the train. It happened so fast. I couldn’t believe it. That was a culture shock for me. I was trembling because I would have been so sad if I had lost that hard-earned money.

Last year I came home one evening only to realize I didn’t have my keys. I stood outside my building wondering where I had lost them. I’m hoping I dropped them on the corridors of my floor. Someone comes out of the building, I hold the door and go inside hoping I find them on the staircase. I come up to my door and guess what, my keys are in the keyhole. I’m sweating now not believing how I could have left them there the whole day. I’m expecting to find an empty apartment. I steadily enter the door, hoping no thug is waiting inside. I check everywhere and nothing seemed odd. Everything was as I had left. If that’s not divine protection I can’t explain what it is. My apartment door is in plain sight. It’s the first door you see as you come up the stairs. That event shook me for days to come.

Another incident happened still last year I found my door ajar. I had left one of my neighbors with my key as I had traveled. I’ll spare you the deets of this story because there are feelings I don’t want to wake up. Anyway, I come home, my door is open and first I think that said neighbor is inside. I’m tiptoeing coz I want to shout “Surprise” I’m even widely smiling. I’m in and no one is inside. Heh, I check the bathroom too, and no one. Surprise is on me. I went to knock on said neighbor’s door. No one is home. I freak out. I call said neighbor and they have been at work since hours ago. Ah, I was mad, to say the least. I felt unsafe in my space. The good thing is nothing was missing. But you are not at peace knowing there was a possibility of bad things happening.

All this to say I am grateful to be in a somewhat safer place where there are kind people. Where the system somehow works. Where you do have an actual address. I know there are horrible things that some people have gone through but I also want to acknowledge that there are also good things that happen to us. Maybe I have just been lucky and my guardian Angel works overtime, which I pray won’t stop. Bless the hearts of those that are empathetic enough to do good and don’t want to benefit from others’ misery.

After a call with the lost and found department that sent me my wallet, they told me that usually they send a lost and found permit to the municipal department. So I only need to go there and claim it.